


Pink Lights

by Ebhenah



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura is still mourning her parents, F/F, Family Estrangement, Found Family, Good Friends, Graduate School, Lotor's a good guy, Modern AU, Protective Allura, Tender Feels, This is so sappy, Tooth Rotting Fluff, VLDsecretsanta2020, Voltron Secret Santa 2020, abuse survivor Lotor, decorations, first christmas living together, minor angst with happy ending, minor miscommunication, new traditions, references to parental loss/death, references to past abuse, scene stealing pets, seriously it is so pure, they are ridiculously careful of each other, voltronsecretsanta2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:27:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28449165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebhenah/pseuds/Ebhenah
Summary: Graduate students Allura and Lotor (and their two cats) prepare to celebrate their first Christmas since moving in together. Both are being especially cautious of stirring up painful memories for the other as they navigate building a new, happier life together.
Relationships: Allura/Lotor (Voltron)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13
Collections: Voltron Secret Santa





	Pink Lights

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Twicesix](http://twicesix.tumblr.com) as part of the VLD Secret Santa Exchange 2020 on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/vldsecretsanta) and [Tumblr](http://voltronsecretsanta.tumblr.com/)

Money had been a little tight since she’d started that unpaid internship, and so she hadn’t been able to splurge on it, but still, the tree twinkled prettily, tucked away in the corner of the new apartment. Moving in together in September had been a big step and they were still adjusting, but the good far outweighed the bad. She was just… a little nervous.

Getting the tree had been a bit of a gamble, but it was a calculated risk, and she was not someone who shied away from risk.

Lotor hadn’t said he  _ didn’t want _ to celebrate Christmas, only that he  _ hadn’t done so _ since he’d cut ties with his family once and for all. If he had ever, even once, said he disliked Christmas, or didn’t want to take part in its traditions, she never would have done this. But her boyfriend was a man who knew his mind and was not shy about speaking it, so she was confident that this would go over well.

They were a family now. Allura, Lotor, Kova, and Kimba. One couple, two cats… plus their little international motley assortment of friends-who-were-like-family. Family didn’t  _ have _ to be built on blood ties. It could be built on love and loyalty and showing up for one another and creating traditions together.

Her boyfriend deserved to know that he wasn’t alone anymore. 

So, she was going to start them off with their own holiday traditions.

Beginning with… this.

A small, silver and white tree stood in the corner of their living area, pale pink lights sparkling. Setting up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve had been a tradition in her family, but not something Lotor had grown up with, so it could be  _ theirs _ . She’d asked each of their friends to find or make a small cat-proof ornament that reminded them of either her or Lotor (or them as a couple) for them and wrap it with the intent of it being opened on Christmas Eve. They were all going to get together on New Year’s Eve to do a proper gift exchange, but everyone had jumped at the chance to help make this happen for the newly cohabiting couple.

She’d strewn a few lengths of garland around the apartment. Lavender, silver, pink, blue… she’d shied away from ‘traditional’ Christmas colors to solidify the whole ‘we are starting something new just for us’ vibe. There were plenty of years ahead of them to incorporate reds and greens and all the usual stuff if Lotor wanted. For now, this was what felt right for her. 

The cats had had a whole day while Lotor was at the lab to get used to the tree, which for now had a cheap vinyl tablecloth printed with pastel snowflakes serving as a tree skirt. Kova had sniffed at it a few times and then pointedly ignored it in favor of the catnip toys Allura had brought out when she’d set up the tree. Kimba, on the other hand, had been very curious, sniffing at it and even trying to climb it. The poor little tree had no chance of surviving twenty pounds of fluffy white Maine Coon scaling it’s twisted wire branches and the whole thing had come tumbling down. After that, Kimba kept a healthy distance.

The apartment smelled like apple pie from the slow cooker of spiced cider she’d set up on the counter, and she’d put on the Nutcracker Suite to listen to. A dozen or so small, wrapped boxes and gift bags sat under the tree, and she’d gotten a pretty storage box and one of those tree-trimming kits, and set-out the charcuterie board, veggie platter, and pretzels.

If he hated it, it was easy enough to pack away the decorations and just spend the evening together.

But… he wasn’t going to hate it.

She was sure he wasn’t.

Mostly sure.

Lotor was too sentimental not to crave this kind of thing. Despite his initial formality and standoffishness, and his reputation for academic and professional ruthlessness, her boyfriend was actually very kind and gentle. When he was comfortable, in the company of people he trusted, he was quiet, thoughtful, encouraging, and affectionate.

He was going to love this.

He was.

She heard the key in the lock and froze for an instant. Knowing it must be Lotor returning home, Kova immediately started meowing for attention and Kimba positioned himself directly in front of the door. It was like the cat  _ wanted _ people to step on him or something! Allura made a hissing noise, trying to shoo Kimba out of Lotor’s path before the door swung open, only to end up being the one in the way.

“Eager to see me, Love?” he teased when they collided gently, pulling her into a hug. “I didn’t think I’d been gone  _ that _ long!”

She was torn between a delighted giggle and the urge to roll her eyes, and she suspected, based on the affectionate look in her boyfriend’s eyes, that she’d ended up with one of the expressions that he described as ‘adorably petulant’. “I was trying to get the dust mop to move.”

“Mmm… you know Kimba listens to nothing and no one, but still you try. It’s sweet.”

“How was your day?” she asked, knowing better than to get drawn into conversation about the cats.

Lotor groaned and stepped out of the embrace to shed his jacket and boots, “not great. There’s new information on the possibility of biomass fuel reliance creating a carbon deficient soil that could potentially impact the beneficial microbiotic cultures within the soil and lead to an imbalance of spore-” Sighing, he shook his head, “I might need to completely restructure an entire section of my dissertation to address new research. I spent the whole day compiling sources and sending them off to my advisor.”

“You sent your advisor that stuff  _ today _ ?” asked Allura, surprised. 

He nodded, but waved his hand at her, “I told him there was no rush, I just wanted to cross sending it off of my own to-do list. I made it clear that he should enjoy his time off and we’d talk about it next month. Don’t worry- I’m not a complete Scrooge.”

“Who called you a Scrooge?!” she demanded, scowling. “Was it Pidge? Matt? Noooo… It was Lance, wasn’t it? He seems to think anyone who doesn’t act like Buddy The Elf is lacking in holiday spirit! He didn’t mean anything by it, you know that, right?”

“Allura,” laughed Lotor, cupping her face in his hands playfully and tipping her face back to meet his gaze. “Love, it wasn’t Lance. If you must know, it was Zethrid… and she was  _ joking _ , so please relax. I love how fiercely you defend me, but in this particular case, I don’t need it. I promise.”

“I’m sorry your day was difficult.”

“I got to come home to you… that made up for a lo- is that a  _ tree!?!? _ ” He just stared at the tree for several seconds before his eyes scanned the rest of the apartment.

Allura chewed at her lip and watched his face, seeing the way his quick mind ran through and discarded ideas and responses in the tiny quirks of his expression. After a moment she lifted her arm in a gesture that wouldn’t have seemed out of place on a game show. “Surprise.”

“You never mentioned wanting a tree…”

Worry swelled within her. “Do you… not like it? I can pack it away… it was just an idea…”

“It’s not that,” he answered, sounding far away despite being close enough that she could feel the December chill that still clung to him. “I… I’ll be right back… Just give me five minutes.”

“Lotor?” Her hand lifted to his cheek, as if the contact could somehow discern the thoughts locked away behind his all-too-often-guarded features. “It’s alright if you don’t…”

He silenced her with a quick kiss and a small, familiar, smile. “Five minutes, Love. No more.”

He was out the door and gone before she could answer him.

Nerves crowded in on her and she scooped Kimba up into her arms, fingers burrowing into the soft, thick fur as both distraction and comfort. As always, the huge cat melted into the attention, the purring loud enough to attract Kova- who never wanted attention from Allura unless Kimba was getting some.

The slinky cat coiled around her ankles, vocally protesting the lack of pets and praise. “You are ridiculous,” she muttered, giving up and simply taking a seat on the floor. “Better?”

Apparently, the change met Kova’s high standards because she climbed into Allura’s lap, craning up until she could butt her head against Allura’s jaw. It was hard to fret with both cats vying for her attention and she relished the distraction. 

She’d been so sure that Lotor would react well to her surprise… and, to be fair, he hadn’t reacted  _ badly _ **_._ **

She knew that his childhood had been difficult and that in addition to his natural shyness and introversion he’d become reticent and secretive as a way of protecting himself. He was slow to trust, careful about who he allowed close to him. It often was interpreted by others as standoffishness or snobbery, but Lotor didn’t think he was  _ better _ than anyone else. Far from it. 

He just took time to relax his guard. Once he was confident that he was able to trust the people around him, he was warm and kind, funny, smart, generous and passionate. He was astute and often made a point of praising people for traits that were often overlooked. He noticed the tiniest details about people- like how Shiro avoided dairy products when he had the option to, or how Lance kicked ass at strategy games, or how Keith carried dog treats with him to feed to strays. They’d been her friends for years and she’d never noticed any of those things but Lotor had within weeks of meeting them for the first time.

He remembered the tiniest details of his own friends’ studies and childhoods, too. He always remembered to check on Ezor when she passed on a few outings in a row, took the time to make sure that any restaurant they went to had kosher options for Acxa before even suggesting it, scouted activities to ensure they were accessible for Narti, made a point of sending Zethrid flowers on the days she had exams because her grandmother had had a garden and flowers reminded her of carefree summers when she was stressed out.

Still, even with how well Allura had come to know him, how much he’d opened up to her and trusted her, he was still, by nature, quiet and introspective. Sometimes, he could be such an enigma, even to her, even after all this time.

Maybe she’d jumped the gun with the decorations?

But, surely one of the girls would have warned her off of this idea when she’d approached them about the ornaments if they thought it would be upsetting to him! No one was more protective of Lotor than his closest friends! He’d nicknamed them his ‘Generals’ for goodness sake!

Kova mewed and batted her face softly with a paw, reminding her that even if her thoughts wandered, she was still expected to give the cat attention and she’d evidently stopped doing that. “You are so demanding,” she muttered, fondness coloring her words. “He’s spoiled you terribly… not that Kimba is any better, I suppose.”

Hearing his name, Kimba lifted his head to regard her sleepily before yawning and rolling in her lap so she was petting his opposite side. “Spoiled,” she repeated, shaking her own head.

She was still sitting there, on the floor, covered in cats, when the door opened again. “Lotor?” The pets scattered as she scrambled to her feet and turned back toward the door to see her boyfriend. “I’m so sorry if I- oh… oh my  _ word! _ ”

“Little help, Love?” he replied from beneath a stack of boxes.

“Right! Of course!” she rushed to his side, taking half his burden from him. “What  _ is _ all this??”

“You never said anything about wanting a tree,” he said, “and last year… Christmas was so bittersweet for you and Coran… I didn’t want to presume anything…”

“Everything was still… so fresh… last year,” she breathed, watching him over her share of the boxes. “This year… so many new beginnings… it feels…  _ hopeful _ … with you…”

“I feel the same way, Allura,” he answered, cheeks coloring slightly, “the world seems a much kinder place with you. So… I… um… I bought some things. Just in case… but you never said anything about wanting to celebrate… and you never go into the storage locker in the basement-”

“-That basement is creepy, and you know it!” Allura answered, indignant, “ _ no one _ would go down there without good cause!”

“I know, Love.” His smile was fond. Indulgent. “I didn’t want to bring up something that might be painful for you. Especially since everyone is gathering to exchange gifts on New Year’s Eve. I want our home to be a  _ safe place _ , for  _ both _ of us… so… when you didn’t say anything, I just decided this could wait until next year… or longer. We are building our life together, in our own way. I wasn’t sure how the holidays would look for us.”

“Lotor? You are so kind… so thoughtful. I love you dearly… but I have  _ no idea _ what you are talking about!”

“I should… probably explain that, shouldn’t I?” He blushed, shaking his head and laughing at himself. “It’s… a Christmas Village. We had one, when I was very young… I barely remember it. Lots of Victorian buildings, lit with tea lights, little people… set up on the mantle. I loved it… but I didn’t want to do  _ that _ . I wanted something new. Something for us. Something fun. Playful. So… uh… right after Halloween, when all the Christmas stuff came out… I saw this and… You should just look…”

They set the boxes on the coffee table and at his encouraging gesture, she opened the smallest box, perched atop the stack. Inside, nestled among shredded tissue paper were brightly colored little figurines that seemed familiar. Gingerly, she dug one out- a little brown dog with a single antler strapped to his head. “Is this…  _ Max?!?!” _ Allura asked, astounded.

Lotor’s whole face lit up, and his smile was so big it might actually hurt. “It  _ is! _ They had this whole set! It’s  _ Whoville _ , Allura! Just like in the cartoon! All the silly little houses and the Whos and the Grinch! All of it! I thought we could set it up on top of the bookshelves. It meant giving up Starbucks for the rest of the year, but I got all the little details, too- the trees and signposts and fencing… plus some white stuff to work as the snow covered ground for the base and little lights. All of it! Do you like it?”

“Do I- Oh, Lotor! This is  _ wonderful _ ! I love it! The Grinch was always my favorite! I was so worried you hated the tree… but… you…” She trailed off, happy tears spilling over her cheeks. “It’s perfect.”

He pulled her into a hug that lifted her clear off her feet and kissed her sweetly. “We can spend the evening setting it up. Then curl up together by the tree… which is… a little sparse- but very pretty!”

“Oh! It’s not finished! There are… ornaments- a set of plain plastic balls in pink and silver and lavender that I got as filler… just to get us started… but others, too! From our friends. Special ones that represent us. I had a whole plan.”

“I do so love the way your mind works… and that big heart of yours. How I ever earned your love, I will never know… but I am so glad for it.”

“You sell yourself short, darling,” she answered, “you are… so much more, so much better than you give yourself credit for. Kind and brilliant and resilient. I am so happy with you. I love you so much. I love our life together. All of it.”

“Well then, Princess, it looks like we’ve got a busy night ahead of us to get ready for our first Christmas in our new home.”

“Our happy, happy home,” she confirmed, hugging him tight. They’d both weathered so much pain and upheaval to get to this point, but she had no doubts that this was the first of many holidays that they would find a way to make their own. This love they shared, it was a powerful thing. The kind that healed grief and heartbreak and forgave shortfallings. 

The kind that lasted a lifetime. 

The kind that built a family from scratch.

One couple, two cats… plus whoever the universe decided to add over the years for them to love.

They were going to love it.

  
  
  
  



End file.
